Entertaining this idea always intrigues me. There are few ways I can (somewhat realistically) see this happening...
1. America is in too much debt to too many countries and they come to collect...collapse of the dollar
2. Overwhelming terrorist strikes and invasion on the homeland (this country is full of foreigners from around the world)
3. Another recession that turns into a major depression
4. A series of natural catastrophes

....don't worry, I won't mention the zombie apocalypse.

What situation, if any, do you see causing major catastrophe/collapse in the US?

deadsp0t

07-09-2013 09:59 AM

The debit collection could lead to another Great Depression, which would be bad.. Natural selection if you will..

As far as the immigrants here, I could be dumb but I'd like to believe the majority(anything over 50%) are here to make better life because where they come from is bad or unsafe.. Not to say they do not love where they come from(I would expect them too, and hope they have pride as such) but I think they are glad to be here.. Not to say some wouldn't turn tail at the first sign of 'real' collapse , but I don't think most would.

AR10

07-09-2013 10:38 AM

What lasts forever, except left over turkey at thanksgiving?

Today, more people accept food subsidies from the government than have full time jobs. Once a system of government reaches the tipping point where people take more than they pay in taxes, that system is doomed.

Chainfire

07-09-2013 10:48 AM

Civil war in this country would be the cause of tens of millions of deaths and a complete disruption of society for many years. It would probably open the doors for some of our good friends, like China, to do the same kind of "intervention" that our country seems to employ so often. (To save us from ourselves, of course)

What in, this country, is bad enough to even fantasize about this kind of scenario?

Anyone who longs for a fun, exciting, hero filled, civil war is living in cloud-cuckoo-land. There would be nothing closer to Hell-on-earth in this country.

PanBaccha

07-09-2013 04:37 PM

Quote:

What situation, if any, do you see causing major catastrophe/collapse in the US?

The collapse of the dollar. Fiat money comes home to roost.

kbd512

07-13-2013 08:43 AM

There are two events that stand out in my mind that would cause major problems for the US.

1. Pricing oil in a currency other than US dollars.

2. Banks or other nations refusing to lend the US money.

So far, neither of those two things have happened.

China is pretty disinterested in the downfall of its largest trading partner. There's only one reason China has the money and power it has today, and that is moving manufacturing to China to take advantage of lower wages. China has so many internal problems that it doesn't have the means to wage any type of war against America, let alone the military capability to do so.

Russia is and always has been terrified of the US. They think we're absolutely crazy. That supposition may have some merit to it. They're interested in us not attacking them, that's about it.

We'll be crushed beneath the interest of our own debts long before a foreign invasion of any kind. It doesn't take hyperinflation to do the trick, just 20% or 30% would cause most of the destruction, especially if coupled with energy price increases.

A civil war is highly unlikely, the people who would be doing the fighting are largely overweight and more interested in playing video games or smoking dope than doing anything productive or counter-productive for that matter.

7point62

07-13-2013 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AR10
(Post 1299307)

What lasts forever, except left over turkey at thanksgiving?

:) Exactly.

Re the OP:

In the not-too-distant future there'll be 10-billion people on this rock and every swingin dick will want the last few pieces of pie. And people will kill each other over food, potable water and living space. Maybe not in our lifetime, but sooner or later we'll have to deal with scarcity...either our own or somebody else's. Now don't peg me as some tree-huggin environut--which I'm not. Population increases exponentially and the figures are pretty indisputable. I'm not suggesting any solutions. Just the opinion that if global economic meltdowns, nuclear war, revolutions or natural disasters don't cause America to fall, eventually the have-nots are going to come for your stuff. And any series of severe disasters or famine or drought or global unrest will only make it come sooner rather than later.

I'm ready.

Chainfire

07-13-2013 01:19 PM

Debt is not a problem as long as you don't pay it off........

Invasions or our nation by outsiders is laughable. The only way invasions are successful, is if they come as a surprise. There are no massive build-up of troops that go unobserved any more.

Recessions and depressions come and go, they always have and they always will.

Natural disasters, we can't do a thing about.

Overpopulation cures itself, through disease, hunger or war.

Everything is the same as it has always been.

Our economy is rapidly improving, the dollar is stable, Obama is getting us out of our last "Bush" war. I hate to disappoint, but "The end is not near."

TankTop

07-13-2013 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chainfire

Our economy is rapidly improving, the dollar is stable, Obama is getting us out of our last "Bush" war. I hate to disappoint, but "The end is not near."

I agree 100% with everything ELSE you said... We are now involved in conflict in more countries than ever before, saying he is getting us out of the last "Bush" war is factually laughable, if anything we're deeper than ever. That could be one of the straws that breaks the camels back. We are now just meddling in everyone's business with no decisive action, just pissing everyone off. All it would take is a dirty bomb or two for society to collapse beyond what our government could manage, and the collapse would occur very rapidly!

clr8ter

07-13-2013 02:45 PM

I think #'s 1 & 3 are the most likely. More locally, one major natural disaster could be a possibility. (Like Katrina)